Children should be seen within 15 minutes at emergency care units, say new standards

Children and young people must have an initial assessment within 15 minutes of arriving in emergency care units, new care standards recommend.

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health's new 'Standards for Short Stay Paediatric Assessment Units (SSPAUs)' follow the number of children and young people seen in hospital emergency departments in England rising by 7.6% between 2014-15 and 2015-16.

The number of under 15-year-olds at emergency departments in England now outnumbers over 80-year-olds by more than two to one.

Almost two-thirds (62%) of all emergency admissions for infants, children and young people are now via emergency departments, according to the latest available figures.

The college says that the increased demand is putting further pressure on hospitals, but suggests short stay units can take some of the strain, with the number of SSPAUs having increased from 144 to 178 in the last eight years.

The new UK-wide standards are an attempt by the college to standardise care in units, with SSPAUs currently varying in areas such as governance, hours of operation and supporting services.

Alongside a maximum waiting time of 15 minutes, the recommendations say units must ensure a standard operating policy is in place with a named senior paediatrician and named senior children's nurse responsible for management and coordination of the service.

In addition, a paediatric consultant who can attend within 30 minutes should be readily available at the unit during peak times of the day.

The standards also advise units to ensure all clinical staff have appropriate, up-to-date paediatric resuscitation training and that good links are established to services in primary and secondary care.

Dr John Criddle, Clinical Lead for the standards, explained that the college wants to make sure "unwell children are seen promptly by the right healthcare professional in the most appropriate setting".